Use the mobile app. Works beautifully and 99% of the time my order is there when I arrive. I've even used it after I arrived and there was a long line, they make it almost immediately. One time I showed up and it wasn't ready because there was a group of 15 ordering frappucinos but one of the baristas looked me staring and then went "Mobile order?" and I said "Yeah" and then they made my drink immediately.
Problem with that is that there is no real-time inventory checking from mobile app orders against What that particular store actually has in stock at that time. I see several cases a day where people have ordered an item off the app that this particular store doesn't actually have. Not all stores have the full menu. The app doesn't account for that.
I only ordered from the app when Starbucks is running a promo for discounts or bonus stars for items purchased through the app. And I only have the app on an alternate device that has no other data.
